Lifting mechanism



Oct. 28, 1941. J. J. MIZER 2,260,533

LIFTING MECHANI SM Filed May 6, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 II INVENTOR &=m I BY J. J. MIZER LIFT-ING MECHANISM Oct. 28, 1941.

Filed May 6, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR v Jase i J. M1621,

BY Y

ATTORN Patented Oct. 28, 1941 LIFTING MECHANISM Joseph J. Mizer, Racine, Wis., assignor to Walker Manufacturing Company of Wisconsin, Racine, Wis.,.a corporation of Wisconsin Application May 6, 1940, Serial No. 333,457

Claims.

The present invention relates to vehicle lifting arrangements and, in particular is directed to lifting arrangements of the type described and claimed in applicants copending application, Serial No. 329,537, filed April 12, 1940, for reissue of United States Patent No. 2,168,489, and in applicants Reissue Patent No. 21,560, granted September 10, 1940.

As pointed out in the above copending application, the problems of providing an inexpensive but readily applied and used vehicle lifting mechanism has been complicated in recent years'by the tendency to deepen the skirt portions of vehicle fenders and to provide the vehicle bodies with substantially overhung portions at the front and rear ends.

In accordance with the construction of the copending application, it is proposed to provide a two-part jacking mechanism, one part being utilized to initially lift the vehicle, and the other part being utilized to hold the vehicle in elevated position. An important feature of applicants constructions resides in the fact that the elevating member is applied to an exposed part of a vehicle wheel, which exposed part of the vehicle wheel is readily accessible from the side of the vehicle and affords a lifting point to which the jack can readil be applied.

In the broader aspect of applicants invention, a vehicle wheel provides several usable loading points. For example, present day vehicle wheel structures comprise generally a hub portion and a. rim portion. customarily, the hub portion is formed as an outwardly presenting recess, and the outer portion of the rim is usually'upwardly and outwardly curved so as to define a corresponding surface. In applicants constructions, it is proposed, therefore, to provide the lifting device with a lifting lug or nose, which is so formed as to adapt it to seat beneath a projecting part of the wheel, which projecting part of the wheel may be constituted, for example, by either of the just mentioned loading surfaces.

The jack structures specifically disclosed in applicants co-pending application are characterized in that the lifting lug which engages the projecting part of the Wheel is'carried by and movable with a column, which column is supported in a jack body, and which jack body, in turn, is fixedly supported relative to a base in such relation that the column and the head extend upwardly therefrom at a slight inclination towards the wheel. The jack is provided with the usual elevating means, operable to cause the column and the head to be elevated relative to the base.

It has been found, in the practical development of the structures of the co-pending application, that it is possible to take advantage of the above described loading points on the exposed surface of the wheel without requiring a' jack of the just mentioned type. Instead, it has been found practical to practice the invention by employing a jack comprising simply a base, a column, and a lifting head which can be elevated relative to the column. Such latter structures can be manufactured at a substantially lower cost than the jack structures of the copending application.

With the above as well as other considerations in view, the principal objects of the present invention are, therefore, to provide avehicle lifting arrangement characterizable' as comprising the combination with. a particular exposed outer part of a vehicle wheel, of a j ack structure having a head engageable with such part of the wheel, and which part constitutes the sole loading connection between the wheel and-the jack; to provide an improved jack structure adaptable for use in the just mentioned combination, and characterized as comprising a lifting head, a. column for supporting the lifting head, means for elevating the head relative to the column and a supporting. base for the jack characterized as effective to prevent substantial rotative movement of the column but as also permitting a limited amount of universal tilting movement of the column relative to the base.

With the above aswell as other objects in View, which appear in the following description and in the appended claims a preferred but illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, throughout the several views of which corresponding reference characters are used to designate corresponding parts and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in sideelevation of an arrangement embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a View taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a View taken along the line 33.of Fig. 2

Fig. 4 is a detailed view, taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a view of a modified embodiment of the invention; I

Fig. 6 is a detailed view taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is'a view of a further embodiment of the invention; and,

. tire associated with the wheel l2.

" As most clearly appearsin Fig. 8 is a detailed view, taken along the line,

8-8 of Fig. '7.

Referring first to the embodiment of Figs. 1

through 4, the improved jack I0 is illustrated as applied to the wheel 12 of an illustrative vehicle proximately equal to the inflated diameter of the understood that, as is set forth in the .above identified copending application; the vehicle is;

holding -column 1 7 also preferably provided with a or the like (not shown) which can be seated beneathan unsprung part of the vehicle after the same has been lifted by the jack the vehicle in elevated position. the jack Ill to be removed, after which the tire or wheel or both may be changed as desired. 'Fig.2, 'the wheel I2 is -of generally conventionalconstruction, comprising the hub portion 22' formed as an outwardly presenting-recess; the web 24, shown as formed integrally withthe -hubstructure; and the rim 26, the. inner surface of which is seated upon and rigidly secured to the-web 24. The rim 26 is conventionally formed to afford a seat for the .tire 20, and it will be 'noted that'the rim isprovided with a 'curvedportion 28 which portion is upwardly, and outwardly curved in a plane which includes the axis of the wheel l2, and which portion 28 :is utilized'in the {embodiment now being described,"as the wheel loading point. In certain of the appended claims, the areas'22 and 28V are generically referred to by the term outwardly presenting recess. The jack lflcomprises the substantially linear, rigidbolumn 30," ge'nerally rectangular in form,

to. be elevated only an amount ap It will be- H), so as to hold This permits -ly shown in Fig. 3.

the front face of the head 34. with the arrangement claimed in applicants above-identified Reissue Patent No. 21,560, the lug 36 is formed to. define an elongated rounded body portion 50, the curvature of which portion, in a plane which includes the axis of the wheel, corresponds to the radius of curvature of the loading portion 28. The curvature of the body portion 50, in a plane generally parallel to the plane of rotation of the wheel, is preferably proportioned in accordance with the. radius of the rim 25, which latter curvature is most clear- With this relation, the rounded elongated body portion of the lifting lug 36 interlocks beneath the loading point 28.

A feature of the present arrangement resides in the fact that the rounded body of the lifting and illustrated aslh'avingusu'al ratchet teeth 32 provided along one face thereof. Thecolumn 30 carries a head 34, having a rim engaging lug 36 at one side thereof, and is formed to accommo usual setting lever 40, so as to control the direc-;

tion of the movement of the head, as will be un+ derstood. .1 j l r I i In the present instance, the column3l] is carried by a base 42, which: may be, and preferably is, formed of a relatively heavy metal stamping,

the-base portionwhereof is of sufiiciently large area to afford a firm support for the column 30 and which is provided with a boss formation 44 The boss formation 44 is depressed in its central portion 46, to define a generallyrectangular seat mg 36 lies immediately adjacent to but slightly spaced from the axis of the column 30.

Two considerations determine this laterally offset 1 spacing} first, it is desirable to maintain the'ofiwould otherwisebe applied tothe column 30 by means of the wheel; second, it isnec'essary to utilize a large enough offset to permit the upper end of'the column '30 to clear the outer wall of the tire 2o.

It will befappreciated that when the present jack i's'applied to a wheel havinga deflatedtire, the base 42 of the jack must be positioned some; what farther outwardly from the rim than is the case with'ftheupper'end of the jack. "Accordingly, in applying the present jack to a wheel, it is necessary that the column 30 extend upwardly at a slight inclination to the 'veiticar This inclined relation is permitted by the loose or universal mounting between the column 30 and the ba'sei42 i I Q Q lIn seating the jack' 'adjacent the wheel, it will further be understood that theupper end of the column is projected into the space between the fender skirt and the wheel. As previously men- It will'b understood that smasher-amide for thecolumn 30, which seat relatively loosely receives the lower endof the column 30. With this relation, :the seat 46 isefiective to prevent any substantial amount of rotative movement of the column 30 'about, -its ,own axis,,and at the same time, permits the column 30 to be; tilted universally relativeltothe base 42-. The -seat ;46 is positioned relatively near the front face 48 of the base, since this dispositionenables the lower end of the column 30 to be placed nearer the outer face20a of I the tire 20 ;than would otherwise be possible.

t The lifting lug .36 is constituted'byarelative 1y heavy metal strap; folded" int,gezierally U-shape, with the ends thereof rigidly secured to handle, the .QPerator may tendtorock the jack aboutthe axis of the column l0. Any such rota-.'- tion is prevented or limited to: a negligible ,degreebythe fact thatthe column, i0, is substan: tially non-rotatablerelative to the baseand by the furthenfact-that thehead 34 isnon rotative ele it o ihewl mn-i More ver t e on ated form of the lifting lug enablesithe lugto have a substantial bearing along the rim which further overcomes any otherwise existing tendency for th'elu'g"tobecome unseated from the rimf f H It' wi11' be understood that" during t e" upward movement of thewheel, the wheel moves about a center 5 constituted by the point fat which: the opposite wheel rests upon 'the ground; Du.ring this arcuate jmovement, the wheel tends ,to" move awayfrom the base'of the jack. Any such move ment' is accommodated in thepresent instance by the fact that the"jack'colu rnn canftiltrelative to Q-Tf r 1 {It is found in practice thatafterauser, ora jack has changed the tireor wheel, as the case In accordance may be, and has again elevated the wheel so as to enable him to remove the holding column (not shown), such user frequently rolls the car off thejack, rather than lowering the jack. In rolling the car off the jack, the jack column is necessarily tilted in the direction in which the car is rolled, and in the absence of a tiltable connection between the column and the base, the base is necessarily subjected to a substantial bending force. This difficulty is entirely overcome with the present arrangement, since the column can tilt relative to the base, both forwardly and rearwardly of the vehicle.

In its broader aspects, the present invention also admits to the use of a jack structure of the type shown in Figs. and 6, wherein the jack Illa comprises a column 30a, and a head 34a, related to each other in the previously described manner. In this instance, also, it will be understood that th column Illa is provided with a base (not shown) corresponding to the previously described base 42. In this instance, however, the head 34 is provided with a lifting lug 60, of upwardly presenting saddle form, adapted to seat beneath the outwardly projecting axle spindle 62 associated with the wheel I2a. With the exception of the fact that the lifting lug 60 is in this case applied to the wheel spindle rather than to the rim portion, the construction and operation of the embodiment of Figs. 5 and 6 may, and preferably does, correspond to that of Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4.

As previously mentioned in connection with th descriptions of Figs. 1 through 4, the hub structure of a vehicle wheel is conventionally formed as a generally outwardly presenting recess, having the outwardly flaring walls 22b, as shown in Fig. 7. In the broader aspects of the invention, there are certain instances in which it is found practical to apply a jack structure directly to the outwardly projecting and flaring surface 22a. Normally, however, such surfaces present a too steeply rising angle. Accordingly, a feature of the present invention resides in depressing into such hub opening, a circumferentially extending recess 80, the inner face whereof defines a loading point similar in form to the loading point 28 described with reference to Figs. 1 through 4. In such instances, a jack structure of the specific form described with reference to Figs. 1 through 4 may be utilized, and such jack structure is so shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the only difference being that in Figs. 7 and 8, th curvature of the lifting lug 82 in a plane parallel to the plane of rotation to the wheel is struck on a shorter radius, corresponding to the radius of the area 811.

Although only three specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it will be appreciated that further variations in form and arrangement may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A lifting device for a vehicle wheel, said wheel having an outwardly projecting part associated therewith, comprising a base adapted to rest upon a supporting surface, a column carried by the base and extending upwardly therefrom, the column being tiltable but substantially non-rotative about its longitudinal axis relative to the base, a head carried by th column, said head having a lifting part immediately adjacent the axis of the column but offset therefrom and formed to hook beneath said projecting part,

said base, column and head being so related to each other that when said base is positioned on said supporting surface immediately adjacent the base of a tire associated with said wheel said lifting part engages under and in lifting relation to said projecting part, and means opertively associated with said lifting device for raising said head relative to the column so as to lift said wheel.

2. A lifting device for a load carrying vehicle wheel having a .tire and means including a rimlike part forming a seat for saidtire, said part having an exposed surface which extends outwardly in a plane which includes the wheel axis, comprising a base adapted to rest upon a supporting surface, a column carried by the base and extending upwardly therefrom, th column being ,tiltable but substantially non-rotative about its longitudinal axis relative to the base, a head carried by the column, said head having a. lifting part immediately adjacent the axis of the column but offset therefrom and formed to hook beneath said exposed surface, said base, column and head being so related to each other that when said base is positioned on said supporting surface immediately adjacent the base of a tire associated with said wheel said lifting part engages under and in lifting relation to said exposed surface, and means operatively associated with said lifting device for raising said head relative to the column so as to lift said wheel.

3. A lifting device for a load carrying vehicle wheel having an outwardly projecting spindle, comprising a base adapted to rest upon a supporting surface, a column carried by the base and extending upwardly therefrom, the column being tiltable but substantially non-rotative about its longitudinal axis relative to the base, a head carried by the column, said head having an upwardly presenting saddle positioned immediately adjacent the axis of the column but offset therefrom and formed to seat beneath said spindle, said base, column and head being sorelated to each other that when said base is positioned on said surface immediately adjacent the base of a tire associated with said wheel said saddle engages under and in lifting relation to said spindle, and means operatively associated with said lifting device for raising said head relative to the column so as to lift said wheel.

4. A lifting device for a vehicle wheel having in the outer face thereof a recess which is substantially concentric with the wheel and the' marginal surface whereof extends outwardly toward the outer face of the wheel, comprising a base adapted to rest upon a supporting surface, a substantially linear column carried by the base and extending upwardly therefrom, the column being tiltable but substantially non-rotative about, its longitudinal axis relative to the base, a head carried by the column, said head having a lifting part immediately adjacent the axis of the column but offset therefrom and formed to operatively engage under the said marginal surface at a point substantially directly above the wheel axis, said base, column and head being so related to each other that when said base is positioned on said supporting surface immediately adjacent the base of a tire associated with said wheel and said lifting part is engaged under said marginal surface said column extends inclinedly towards said wheel from said base, and means operatively associated with said lifting device for raising said head relative to the column so as to lift said wheel.

5. A lifting device for. a vehicl whee1,.said wheel having an outwardly projecting part associated therewith, comprising a base adapted to rest upon a supportingsurface, a column carried by-the base and extending upwardly therefrom, L

a head carried bythe column, said head having a lifting part immediately adjacent the axis of the column but offset therefrom and operative to hook beneath said projecting part, said lifting part having an elongated body which extendsrgenerally parallel to the plane of rotation lo .tive to the column so as to lift said wheel.

JOSEPH J. NIIZER.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,260,555. October 28, 191,1.

JOSEPH J. MIZER.

.It is hereby certified that error appearein the printed'epecification of the abovenumbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 14., second column, line 2, claim 5, strike out the words "in saidplane"; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the caee'in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 9th day of December, A. D. 19in.

Henry. Van Arsdale, (Seal) I Acting Commis sioner of Patents. 

